This invention relates generally to engine-generator systems, and more particularly to control and monitoring systems for engine-generator systems.
Engine-generator sets are used to provide an on-site alternate source of electrical energy in hospitals, offices, data centers, factories, institutions, hotels and other buildings where an interruption to the utility source of power may cause unsafe situations or which may result in economic loss. In addition, engine-generator sets may be used to provide electrical energy in remote areas where there is no utility power available. Engine-generator sets may also be used as a distributed source of electrical energy to reduce a peak load on utility electrical generation systems during peak electrical demand periods, for example, during the summer.
Engine-generator sets are usually closely monitored by operation technicians who are responsible for gathering operation data, such as temperatures and pressures, from instruments located on the engine-generator set. This data is normally obtained visually, and recorded using pens or pencils on notepads or forms.
Typically the operation of an engine-generator set is controlled by an engine-generator controller. Known engine-generator controllers use microprocessors to control the operation of an engine-generator set and in some cases provide for, or have interfaces to, annunciation equipment, such as incandescent lights or light emitting diodes to display the status and operating condition of the engine-generator. Those known engine-generator controllers have limited communication capabilities through visual indicators and control and monitor the engine-generator set using hard-wired discrete control wiring. Thus, known engine-generator controllers are unable to communicate to other systems, for example, computers, actual operational parameters of the engine-generator set such as oil pressure, oil temperature, power quality for collection and analysis of engine-generator set performance. Therefore, data storage and retrieval to and from the engine-generator set is a tenuous task.
Therefore, it would be desirable to closely monitor the operational status of the controller and the engine-generator sets without the need for pens and pencils, notepads or forms.
A method for the collection of operational data for analysis on a computer from an engine-generator controller and the downloading of operational parameters to an engine-generator controller from the computer using a personal digital assistant (PDA) is described herein.
The described method includes the steps of configuring the engine-generator controller with a service manager to enable communications with the PDA, configuring the PDA to display engine-generator set operational data and transferring operational parameters from the computer to the PDA. Further steps to the method include downloading the operational parameters from the PDA to the engine-generator controller, the upload of operational data from the engine-generator controller to the PDA and the transfer of operational data from the PDA to the computer.